Winter Weather is Snow Joke For Christmas Criminals

The abundance of snow falling in Germany this winter has proved tricky for many Germans, including a pair of thieves who went on a Christmas crime spree in the town of Höntrop.

Police checking on a car alarm sounding off in the dead of night were surprised by their stroke of good fortune when they discovered that beneath the smashed window through which the thieves had grabbed their loot, two sets of fresh footprints led away from the scene of the crime.

The cops could not believe their luck and followed the footprints through the streets of the town for several kilometers until the trail went cold.

"At one point the tracks disappeared because someone had cleared the pavement outside their home in the middle of the night," a police official said in a statement.

Footprints led to thieves' front door

However, it wasn't long before the trail was located again and the police officers were in hot -- or more likely, freezing cold -- pursuit once more. The footprints led the cops directly to the entrance of a flat where the burglars not only stored their booty but also left their shoes and gloves to dry.

The two men were arrested and charged on suspicion of being involved in thefts from 15 cars and two garden sheds.